Love on Vacation
by Yuki Shinzo
Summary: Cloud comes home from work one day with a surprise trip to Gold Saucer for Tifa, Marlene and Denzel. Tifa and Cloud are still childhood friends, but will this family vacation bring a change in their relationship?  Story takes place after Advent Children.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh my gosh, my first fan fiction is finally being published! And it's FF7! I feel kinda proud of myself! XD**

**But anyway, I'll cut to the chase so we can move along.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of the characters that appear in this story. All rights go to SQUARE ENIX and Tetsuya Nomura, the characters' designer.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

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><p>It was the end of a typical work day in Edge at the 7th Heaven Bar, and Tifa Lockhart had just finished closing up shop for the day. She walked through the dining area of the small bar, picking up leftover plates and beer glasses and taking them to the kitchen to be washed. As she loaded the dirty dishes into the sink, she heard the muffled sounds of Denzel and Marlene outside, happily playing and enjoying themselves. It was a sound that Tifa heard everyday, and yet it seemed like one of the most pleasant sounds in the world to her.<p>

As she finished up the last of the dishes, she heard another wonderful sound; the sound of a motorcycle pulling up out front, as well as the muffled but happy cries of Marlene and Denzel. She turned around to see Marlene fly through the door and into the kitchen, Denzel following quickly behind her.

"Tifa, Tifa, Cloud's home!" the girl announced happily, as the blonde ex-mercenary walked into the bar.

"Welcome home Cloud, how'd the deliveries go today?" asked Tifa, flashing him a warm smile as he walked in.

Cloud sat down in one of the stools at the bar across from her as she dried off the last of the dishes. She smiled as the kids eagerly found seats next to him, ready to hear just where he had gone to today.

"They were alright. I had to go all the way to Kalm to get some gun parts to Barret-"

"You saw Daddy?" asked Marlene excitedly, her already wide smile growing wider at the sound of her adopted father's name.

"Yep, and he wanted to say hi to you and Denzel. You make sure to give him a call," Cloud answered, with the smallest of smiles on his face.

"I'm gonna call him right now! C,mon Denzel!" Marlene shouted as she got off her stool and ran up the stairs to the phone, dragging Denzel behind her. Cloud still had the smile on his face as he watched the two leave.

Tifa had noticed that lately Cloud had begun to smile more often than he used to. They were always very small smiles; you could hardly notice them at times. But it was a good sign to Tifa. A sign that Cloud was finally starting to let go of the rough patches in his past, and that his heart had begun to mend. It made Tifa happy to know that her childhood friend, who she had grown to love dearly, was starting to become his old self again. Of course, Cloud didn't know that she had fallen for him, but she was perfectly alright with keeping it that way, if it meant that she could stay by his side. She couldn't help but watch Cloud, as his attention had been focused on the two kids as they ran upstairs, that tiny smile still on his face. Unbeknownst to her, she began to look over his handsome features, from his stoic, slightly angular face, to the his muscular arms and shoulders. She was so busy studying him, that she almost didn't realize that Cloud had noticed her staring.

"What?" he asked, his bright sky-blue eyes now focused on her.

Tifa looked away sheepishly, turning her face away so he couldn't see the bright red blush that now flushed her cheeks.

"Oh nothing, I was just spacing out. Long day today," she laughed as she tried to suppress the pounding in her chest, and the burning blush on her face.

She stole a glance back at him, to find that he was no longer sitting at the bar, but coming around into the kitchen. He came right up to her and, to Tifa's surprise, took off one his leather gloves, and placed his hand to her forehead.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked, a hint of concern leaking from his voice, "You're face is red. You don't have a fever do you?"

Tifa, trying to compose herself, took his hand away and gave him her best smile.

"It's alright Cloud I'm fine. I told you it's been a long day. The bar was really busy today."

Cloud looked her over for a moment, then replied, "Then...maybe you need some time off."

Tifa was about to reply when the kids came running back downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey Cloud, where else did you go today?" asked Denzel, clearly eager to hear more about Cloud's day.

"Well actually, I had to deliver some paperwork to Reeve Tuesti on the way back and he gave me something. You two sit down at the bar will you?"

The two eagerly complied, and immediately jumped into a bar stool across from Tifa and Cloud. Cloud then reached into his pocket and pulled out four slips of paper, handing two of them to Marlene and Denzel, and another to Tifa. Tifa examined the slip of paper in her hand. It was a LIfetime Pass to the Gold Saucer, a place they had visited on their journey three years ago. Marlene and Denzel's faces immediately brightened when they looked over the tickets.

"Wow, Gold Saucer! I wanna go!" exclaimed Marlene excitedly.

"Cloud, how did you get these?" asked Denzel, the same excitement plastered all over his face.

"It told you, Reeve gave them to me. And I thought you guys would want to go for the weekend," Cloud explained.

The kids happily agreed to go and Cloud then looked over at Tifa.

"How about it Tifa, you wanna go? We could all use a vacation I think."

Tifa wasn't quite sure what to say; it had been such a long time since they had last gone on an outing as a family. And the idea of going on vacation for a few days really sounded nice to Tifa. Plus, it would give her the chance to spend more time with Cloud and the kids.

Tifa smiled and said, "That sounds like a great idea. I think we should go."

The kids cheered happily, and soon they were both running back upstairs to their rooms to start packing for the trip.

"Wow, I had no idea the Gold Saucer was even still open."

"I'm glad you wanted to go Tifa."

Tifa looked up at Cloud, a bit surprised at his remark.

"Of course Cloud, why wouldn't I want to go on a family vacation?" Tifa replied. "So what brought this on exactly? You've never been the type to plan family trips."

"Well, I just figured that you've been working so hard lately, and I've been doing a lot of work too with the delivery business. And I figured that since we don't get to spend much time together as a...a family...I figured that this would be a good thing for us. We can both take some time off of work...and try and have some fun," Cloud shyly replied.

Tifa wasn't sure what to say, since this was the first time Cloud had even suggested planning a trip for them. But this was a good thing, because now she knew that he definitely wanted their family life to work, and definitely wanted to be more involved with her and the kids.

After a moment of silence between the two of them, Tifa smiled and said, "Alright Cloud, so when do we leave?"

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><p><strong>Right, well that's the end of Chapter 1! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. <strong>

**So anyway, if anyone liked this story, please comment/fav. I want to know the opinions of anyone who reads this, so please don't be shy. But if you do have to flame, please keep t to a minimum. Thanks a bunch! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**Hello readers! I've finally got Ch2 up! For the few readers who actually decided to follow this story, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Other have been spawning in my head already so I was looking into some of those ideas. But I'll try to be a bit quicker in uploading chapters in the future. **

**Now, for a Disclaimer: I do not FF7 or any of it's characters. All rights go to SQUARE ENIX and Tetsuya Nomura. **

**Thanks y'alls! Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Marlene and Denzel stared out the window in awe, as the airship flying them across the ocean from Junon began its ascent. Tifa sat beside them in the passengers cabin, as they started trying to see if they could make out shapes in the clouds as they flew by. Tifa looked out the window too, admiring what little scenery there was. The sky around them was a bright cerulean blue, the clouds floating by them in fluffy puffs of white. Some of them looked like big marshmallow puffs, while some appeared more wispy and like fields of snow.<p>

A lot of things had changed during the past three years. Just a few years ago, there were no airship services that took you to the other continents, the only thing close being the company aircrafts that were used for high-up Shinra employees when they traveled. But after the fall of Meteor, Cid Highwind, a friend who had travelled with them on their journey, had started the airship ferry from Junon to Costa del Sol, and so far it had been very successful. Cloud had decided to give Cid a call, and ask if they could take a ride to Costa del Sol. Cid was happy to help out, but flipped when Cloud asked him to go out of his way to go all the way to the Gold Saucer, saying that he had a business to run, and he didn't have time to just ditch his flying route and his "loyal customers" just so he could do him a personal favor. He had agreed to take them let them ride to Costa del Sol, but he had been bitter about the subject since.

Cloud had gone back up to the hull to still try and get him to fly them straight to their destination, despite Tifa's efforts to get him to give up. Tifa got up, deciding to see whether Cloud had actually gotten Cid to agree with him, or had gotten him even more upset. Tifa was almost to the hull, when she heard footsteps come from ahead of her. The footsteps were soon followed by a seemingly annoyed Cloud, who turned the corner into the hall and nearly bumped right into Tifa.

"Oh hey Tifa, I thought you were with the kids."

"Well, you haven't sat down with us since we took off. I wanted to make sure everything's cool with Cid."

Cloud puffed a tired sigh, and leaned onto the rail that separated them from the glass window.

"Yeah well, he's only willing to take us to Costa del Sol. We'll have to rent out a buggy when we get there."

"Yeah I figured that. I told you he wouldn't do it if you kept pestering him." Tifa replied with a smile. She leaned on the railing beside Cloud, watching the clouds again as they whipped by.

"You know, we don't have to get there right away. The kids seem to like being able to see all the sights. They don't get to go on these kinds of trips too often."

Cloud was silent for a moment, as if contemplating on how he should respond to her. He looked away from her and out the window, seeming a little...embarrassed maybe...? Tifa couldn't tell, since Cloud still wasn't quite an open book when it came to his emotions.

"Yeah I know...I just don't want to screw this up at all. I want everything to go okay."

Tifa looked up at him, not being able to help feeling bad for Cloud. In the process of trying to make family life work, and to be there for them, he'd been putting pressure on himself. It sounded like he thought he had to do absolutely everything right, and doing just one little thing wrong could possibly screw everything up...or at least screw up the trip. She rested her hand gently on his, making Cloud look up at her, blue eyes widening a bit in surprise.

"It's okay Cloud," she said with a smile, "you don't have to put so much pressure on yourself. The kids are enjoying it so far and I am too. So just relax."

Cloud didn't seem to be sure of what to say, just blinking back at her with no response. Then it appeared again; that same small smile that had become more common, and Cloud squeezed her hand back gently.

"Thanks Tifa," he finally replied.

Tifa could feel her heart racing again, joy welling up in her, knowing that she could make that smile appear. She barely noticed her cheeks flushing.

"S-sure, what are friends for? Now why don't we-"

Tifa never finished her sentence, as the airship suddenly jerked, causing Tifa to loose her grip on the hand rail and fall forward. Her eyes squinted shut, waiting for that moment when she would hit the floor face first. She waited...but she never landed on the ground. She opened her eyes as the airship jerked again, although not as hard as the first time. She looked up and realized that Cloud had managed to catch her, one arm wrapped tightly around her, and keeping a firm grip on the hand rail so that he could keep his footing, as the airship rocked again.

Cid's voice suddenly came over an intercom.

"Sorry 'bout that folks, we're headin' through some rough weather so we'll be experiencin' a bit of turbulance on the way. If ya'll aren't seated and are movin' around the ship freely, please be sure to find a hand rail or a seat near ya. We should be gettin' through this in a bit."

Tifa hardly paid attention to the announcement. She suddenly couldn't keep her head straight as she tried, and failed to process what had just happened.

"You alright Tifa?" Cloud asked, as he looked down at her.

Tifa couldn't reply, her mind becoming scrambled as her emotions got the better of her. He was still holding onto her, and the longer he did, the more Tifa's body felt like jello, as if she were ready to melt right through his arm and land in a puddle on the floor.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she finally stuttered, "Y-yeah I'm okay."

A quick pause, and then Cloud said, "You sure about that? 'Cause your face is red again. Are you sure you're not sick or something?"

"Oh no, I'm totally fine," Tifa finally replied, suddenly getting the energy to perk right back up onto her feet,. She turned away from him to hide her blush, which seemed kind of pointless to her since he had already seen it. But she didn't want Cloud to be able to catch onto how she felt about him; she didn't want to lose their friendship, and she didn't know how he would react if he did find out about her feelings. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know, since he had always had a fondness for...Her.

There was a long awkward silence, Tifa still having her back turned to Cloud so she could get her bearings. The airship jolted lightly again, followed by more

silence. Then Cloud finally said, "Um, I think we should get back to the cabin."

Composed again, Tifa turned back to him and smiled.

"You're right," she said, "we have been gone a while haven't we..?"

Cloud didn't respond, and they both walked back down the hall, keeping close to the railing so they wouldn't lose their footing.

The rest of the flight went on without anymore incidents, however Tifa hadn't spoken much to Cloud afterwards. After an hour or so, the airship made its landing in Costa del Sol. The kids were excited as they made it off the ship, taking in the sights and sounds of the beachside resort town. As Cloud went to find a place to rent a buggy, Tifa and the kids waited for him by the beach.

"Hey Tifa, is it okay if Marlene and I go to see the tide pools?" asked Denzel.

"Yeah Tifa, I really wanna go see them! Please Tifa, pleeeaaase?" Marlene begged, giving Tifa one of her signature puppy-dog looks.

"Alright, that's fine, I'll stay here and wait for Cloud to get back. But I want you two to be careful okay...?"

"Thanks Tifa, we will!" Marlene, exclaimed, as she turned and dragged Denzel behind her as they headed for the tide pools.

Tifa giggled as the two took off; it was so funny how those two had become so close, just like brother and sister. She watched them until they disappeared behind the sea cliffs, then looked out at the ocean around her.

Despite being a popular tourist spot, the beach of Costa del Sol was surprisingly vacant that day. There were only a few sunbathers out, and the clear blue ocean water was devoid of any swimmers, making it seem quite peaceful. Tifa looked out at the ocean, hoping that she could find some peace of mind, but her thoughts just kept going back to what happened on the airship. She wasn't confused about her behavior towards Cloud, she knew that her feelings were the primary cause of it. But she didn't understand why she had thought of her...of Aerith. Tifa couldn't wrap her finger around it. What had suddenly caused her to remember her..? Just as she was about to try answering that question, she heard footsteps come up behind her.

"Hey..."

Tifa turned, finding Cloud standing behind her.

"Hey, you get the buggy?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded and replied, "Yeah...where're the kids?"

"They went out by the tide pools."

"You didn't go with them?"

"I thought I would wait here for you to get back," Tifa replied.

"Hm..."

Cloud sat down next to her, and they sat silently next to each other. Tifa was still looking out at the ocean, not noticing Cloud's blue eyes watching her. When she finally glanced over and noticed, she felt her heart fluttering yet again.

This wasn't good...she thought she had her feelings under control before this trip started. Now she was barely able to be near him without blushing, or feeling a pounding in her chest. If this kept up, she wouldn't be able to hide it to Cloud as well as she wanted to. She glanced out at the ocean again, trying to avoid Cloud's gaze, hoping that it would help calm her heart and nerves. She waited another few minutes, and the pounding still continued. Against her better judgement, she decided to take another glance back at him. He was still looking at her, a blonde eyebrow arched in confusion. The minute she looked back, the pounding in her chest sped up, and she could feel her cheeks burning up...again.

Just great, if this was gonna keep happening, then the fun might as well have been over for Tifa.

Tifa again avoided Cloud's gaze, and then asked, "W-what are you staring at?"

He didn't reply, instead he took a hold of her shoulder, and turned her around to face him. He didn't speak, only studied her with a very critical gaze in his eyes.

"Uhm," Tifa started, "is there...something on my face Cloud...?"

"Are you sure you're not sick Tifa? Because your face keeps turning red," Cloud said finally.

Great, he definitely noticed the blush. Okay, time for a cover up.

Tifa smiled and replied, "What? Cloud, I'm just fine. If I were sick I would be at home right now."

She tried to look away again, but Cloud took a hold of her chin, making her look right at him. Judging by the expression on his expression on his face, he was peeved...very peeved.

"Tifa...," he started, "are you mad at me or something?"

"What?" Tifa asked, genuinely confused now.

"Don't give me that. You've been acting weird ever since we got off the airship. You barely talk to me...and you barely even look at me. Did I do something?"

His face was dead serious, his blue eyes giving her a hard analyzing gaze, as if they were trying to pierce through her mind, to try and figure her out. Tifa wasn't sure of what to do, what to say. Just how was he expecting her to respond to that?

"I-I'm not mad at you Cloud," Tifa replied softly.

"Then what is it? 'Cause I'm finding that a little hard to believe, with the way you're acting."

Again, Tifa was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to respond to Cloud. She wasn't sure what to tell him.

Finally Tifa replied, "Cloud I-"

Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air, making Tifa jump, and Cloud's head whip up, looking for the source of the sound. Tifa came close to panic, realizing that it sounded a lot like Denzel, and she immediately stood up, realizing where the sound came from.

"Cloud, I think that came from the tide pools!" she exclaimed.

Cloud responded by getting up, and running towards the tide-pools, gripping the broad-sword on his back, ready to draw it and strike if needed. Tifa followed behind, the terrible possibilities of what could have happened coming to her mind.

Were Denzel or Marlene hurt?

Had a wild monster appeared and attacked them?

Could the tide have come in and drug one of them out to sea?

All of the worst possible things ran through her mind as she and Cloud turned the corner of the sea cliffs, the tide pools coming into view. Tifa saw Marlene kneeling by one of the tide pools, and Denzel nowhere to be seen.

"Marlene! Are you alright?" cried Tifa, as she ran up to her.

Cloud soon came up behind Tifa.

"Marlene, where's Denzel?"

Suddenly, there was a splashing sound, and then a few coughs.

Tifa and Cloud whipped their heads toward the sound, to find Denzel in the nearby tide pool.

"Down here," he sputtered, spitting out sea water and staggering out of the pool.

Tifa let out a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that neither Denzel or Marlene were hurt. She heard Marlene giggle and couldn't help but giggle herself, when she saw what looked like a starfish and some seaweed stuck in Denzel's hair. Cloud puffed his own sigh of relief, and released the handle of his broad sword to help Denzel out of the water.

"Okay Denzel, how did you end up in that water?" asked Cloud, reaching for the starfish and the sea weed and fishing it out of his wet hair.

"It was Marlene! I was standing by the pool looking at some of the fish and stuff, and she just pushes me in when I'm not looking! And I was about to get out when a wave came in knocked back into the water! She was laughing the whole time!" he proclaimed, giving Marlene a very annoyed glare when she began to laugh.

"Alright you two, let's get back to the beach so we can dry off Denzel and get out of here." said Tifa, taking Marlene's hand and leading her back to the beach. Cloud and Denzel quickly followed behind the girls, heading for their buggy and their next destination.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

Hey everybody! I'm finally back with a new chapter! Okay, so I am going to apologize again for taking so long to upload this chapter. I kow there were at least one or two people who wanted to see more of this story and I apologize for that.

So anyway, here's the disclaimer!

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or any of it's characters. All rights go to SQUARE ENIX. **

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><p>Tifa looked out the passenger side window of the buggy, as Cloud drove them through the Corel Mountain Range. She could barely recognize the mountains she had once travelled through with Cloud only three years ago. The last time they had passed through here, the mountains had been barren and barely sustained any life. No plants could grow, and the only things that were living up there were wild monsters, that tried and failed, to snack on them. This was mainly because of the Mako reactor that was once operational there, which had drained enough Mako energy from the earth to turn the mountains into a rocky wasteland. But Tifa could see that since Shinra had fallen from power, effectively shutting down the numerous Mako reactors throughout the world, life had been able to inhabit the mountains again. Patches of green grass already began to sprout across the many mountain sides, along with even smaller patches of tiny wildflowers. It was kind of nice being able to see some form of nature in the wilds, compared to the more widespread wastelands that surrounded many of the major cities and towns that relied on Mako energy, particularly around Edge and the ruins of Midgar.<p>

They had been driving for about an hour now, and for the past 15 minutes or so, it had been fairly quiet in the back of the buggy. Tifa turned around to look into the back seat to find both Denzel and Marlene fast asleep. Denzel's head was lolled to the side by the window, and Marlene's little head was rested right on his lap. Tifa couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.

"They asleep?"

Tifa all but jumped when Cloud spoke up, having grown accustomed to the silence.

Tifa nodded. "Yeah, they're both asleep. I guess they're tuckered out from being on the road for so long."

Cloud nodded but remained silent, his eyes focused on the highway ahead of him.

"It's been a while since we were last through here huh?" Tifa asked, hoping to keep somewhat of a conversation going with Cloud.

He nodded again and replied, "Yeah, but we weren't there for a good time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tifa answered, looking back out the window, realizing that conversation with Cloud could be all but futile. She had honestly hoped that the silence wouldn't persist, because with silence, there came time for her mind to wander. And her thoughts had managed to wander back to the flight from Junon...and again to Aerith.

What was the deal? Of course, reminiscing on that journey would bring back memories of her, since she had played a huge part in it all. But Tifa didn't understand why she kept thinking of the relationship between Aerith and Cloud, something that she had to admit to herself, made her just a bit jealous. And when Aerith had died, Cloud had been absolutely devastated, and he harbored pain and guilt for the next two years. Just thinking about this made Tifa question just how much he really cared about her. Out of the entire group, he had been hurt the most by the loss, as though he had lost something precious in his life. Now this easily could've been justified as them just being very close friends. But what if it was more then that...what if he had loved her?

Tifa couldn't believe she was thinking like this; she couldn't believe she was feeling this jealousy now. She couldn't believe she was having such selfish thoughts about such a good person either. So what if he had been in love with Aerith? She was gone now, what did that matter to Tifa?

Well...did he still think about her that way?

If she was still alive would they be together now?

Would he be living with her instead of Tifa?

If he managed to find out about her feelings...would he feel the same? Or would he still love Aerith..?

Now Tifa was just getting frustrated with herself; she was completely ruining her mood, and already ruining the trip for herself. She was sure she was just thinking up nonsense at this point. She focused back on the mountains they passed, hoping to get her thoughts away from the matter. She could tell they weren't that far now; she could see the tip of the Gold Saucer just peeking over the mountain range. About another half hour through the mountains and they would drive into the valley beyond and be able to see the golden tower. Just another half hour and the kids would be up, laughing and giggling with excitement and they'd all be enjoying themselves and having a grand old time. Then she just might have some peace from all these bad thoughts swarming in her head, and certainly wouldn't be brooding over them.

"...ifa...TIfa!" came Cloud's voice, breaking her out of her train of thought.

"Y-yeah Cloud?"

"You alright?"

Just how many times had he asked that now?

"Yeah why?"

"Nothing, you just seem kind of...upset," Cloud replied, glancing between her and the road.

Tifa heaved a heavy sigh. "What gives you that idea?"

"You've been looking out that window with a scowl on your face, and I hardly ever see you scowl," he replied, his eyes betraying a hint of concern.

Tifa just smiled back. "Really Cloud, it's nothing, I've just got things on my mind."

Cloud stole another glance at her. "You wanna talk about it?"

Tifa hesitated, not wanting to bother Cloud with, what in her mind, were very dumb and worthless thoughts. But she knew it might look a bit hypocritical in Cloud's mind if she kept it to herself. Back when he was having his own issues with his guilt over Aerith's death, and his Geostigma, she would always ask him to talk about it whenever she managed to see him, or whenever he came around, which was sparingly. But she just couldn't, she couldn't bother him with her thoughts. She figured nothing good would come out of it she did, possibly bringing in tension that they didn't need. And she knew that if she talked about this, she would absolutely have to admit her feelings, and she was not planning on doing that. She looked back out the window, hoping to avoid that critical gaze that was yet again focused on her.

"Nah, it's not that big of a deal. I'll get over it."

She heard a heavy sigh then silence again, and she couldn't help but glance back at Cloud for a moment. Tifa didn't like what she saw; his blonde brows were scrunched together, leaving deep creases in his forehead, and a deep frown was settled on his face. Judging by his expression, Cloud was seemingly becoming very frustrated with her lack of communication.

"Cloud..?"

Cloud glanced back over to her, the frustration still visible on his face.

"Cloud, did I say something? You look like I got you mad."

"I could ask you the same question," Cloud replied. "Now can you just tell me what's wrong?

Tifa sighed and replied, "Cloud you're taking this too seriously. It has nothing to do with you."

"Then why can't you just talk to me about it?"

Tifa was silent; she didn't want to tell him what was going through her mind, but she had to tell him something otherwise he wouldn't let it go...and would still let it bug him.

Finally she gave in and replied, "I was just remembering Aerith."

His expression softened at the response. "Oh...really?"

"Yeah, I can't help it really, coming down this way brought back memories y,know..?"

"...Guess you're right."

Yet again, another long silence settled between the two of them.

"..Tifa..?"

Tifa turned to find Denzel half awake rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Marlene still sleeping soundly in his lap.

"What's up Denzel?"

"We there yet?"

"Almost honey," Tifa replied with a smile.

Denzel, smiled back and closed his eyes again, quickly falling back to sleep, Marlene never stirring. The next half hour in that buggy passed by in complete silence.

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><p>The Gold Saucer at last came into view as Cloud drove the buggy out of the mountains, and towards the Corel Cable Car Station. Ten minutes later, the buggy was parked in the parking lot, and almost as soon the engine was cut, the kids woke up, and began to babble and giggle with excitement. Watching the two kids lightened Tifa's spirits and almost made her forget about the tension that had built up between her and Cloud during the drive. The kids chattered excitedly as Tifa went to the trunk to unload the luggage that they had brought. It was as she opened the trunk door when Cloud came up from behind her and took the bags out before she could even grab them. Tifa caught a glimpse of the same worried look that now seemed to remain settled into Cloud's eyes. She didn't know what else to do but to look back up at him and just smile, hoping it would somehow put his concerns at ease. It seemed to have worked a bit, because the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly returning her smile.<p>

The worry in his eyes also seemed to have settled.

Good she'd fixed things for now, and she felt just a little more at ease herself.

Just then she felt a tug on her hand, and looked down to see Marlene happily beaming up at her.

"Come on Tifa! Hurry up, let's go!"

Marlene then pulled Tifa along, and she almost stumbled as she was pulled so eagerly across the parking lot toward the station. Cloud followed quietly behind them, with Denzel following right at his side. Soon enough they were all boarded on the next cable car, the kids bouncing around in their seats in anticipation. Cloud had placed their bags up in the luggage rack rather quickly and was now sitting next to Tifa.

"They sure are excited huh..?"

"No kidding. Do you think it'll be the same as we remember?"

The vibration of the cable car mechanisms began to whir as the car began to make it's ascent.

"Probably...but even if anything's changed, the kids will still have a good time...I hope."

Tifa sighed. "Oh, come on, they're gonna love it and you know it. You really have to stop worrying about this."

At that moment, a squeal escaped from Marlene. "Look, look! I see it, I see it! Doesn't it look so cool?"

Tifa glanced over to the front of the car, where the kids were huddled in front of a large observation window, which had an amazing frontal view of the Gold Saucer. Tifa couldn't help but look out that window herself, watching the golden tower slowly grow larger as the cable car made its way towards it. Cloud seemed to have been drawn to the window as well, because his eyes now seemed to be glued to the sight of the approaching tower.

"Excited Cloud?"

Cloud didn't respond, his gaze never leaving the window, as if he were lost in his own little universe.

"Hell~ooo," piped Tifa.

Playfully, she poked Cloud in the nose to try to get his attention and couldn't help but giggle when he jumped in surprise.

"Tifa! What'd you do that for?"

Tifa couldn't help but laugh at the befuddled look that Cloud was giving her. "Sorry, but you were kinda looking out into space there!"

"...Are you making fun of me?"

Tifa only laughed harder at that; the look on his face was just priceless.

"N-no, no sorry! It's just-you should've seen the look on your face!"

It took her another minute to finally calm down. By the time Tifa had managed to stop laughing, Cloud had a rosy blush of clear embarrassment on his face with a glare that was saying, 'What the hell?'

"Sorry Cloud," Tifa began with a light giggle, "I was just trying to get your attention but you were kinda zoned out. Was there something on your mind?"

Cloud looked back out the window at that, his face now laced with his usual emotionless calm. "Not really...just memories coming back to me. Guess I lost myself in them."

Tifa only replied with an, "Oh."

She couldn't help but look back out that window, her own memories of their good times here beginning to resurface. The rest of the ride to the tower was spent with both Tifa and Cloud lost in their good memories, with Denzel and Marlene still marveling at the view in front of them.

* * *

><p>The Gold Saucer appeared just as exciting and magical as it did the first time Tifa had been here. Stepping off the cable car and into the Station Square, Tifa could already hear the joyful laughs and screams of people on the roller coaster, the jolly theme music that echoed throughout the park, and even faint cheers from excited spectators at the chocobo races. The sights and the sounds already had Denzel and Marlene both dazzled as they made their way into the park. They remained speechless even as they reached the Ghost Square Hotel, curiously eyeing the tacky decorations as Cloud checked in. At last they made it to their room, the kids dashing in when Cloud opened the door. Well, at least a room was what Tifa was expecting, except that it was more like a suite than anything, with a small living area and kitchenette as well as what appeared to be two bedrooms and a bath. It almost seemed to be built specifically for a family with kids.<p>

"Wow, is this seriously what you get with a Lifetime Pass?" Tifa asked, walking into what looked like the master bedroom, a kingsize bed resting in the middle with a fancy looking dresser and a door to the bathroom. Tifa had noticed that the room didn't seem to have the typical haunted mansion theme that was portrayed throughout the rest of the hotel. To her, it seemed more themed as a small part of a fairytale castle.

"I'm guessing because it's the four of us," Cloud replied as he set down one of the suitcases by the dresser.

By the time Tifa was finished satisfying her curiosity, she looked over to the other end of the room where a glass door was hidden behind a set of red drapes. She hadn't noticed that when she first walked in, and was now more eager than ever to see what was behind that curtain. She pulled the curtain aside and opened the glass door to a balcony with a view of the park just below. It was quite a sight for Tifa to see, the sun just beginning to set and the lights of the park beginning to glow.

"Nice view."

Tifa nearly jumped, Cloud seemingly appearing out of nowhere right next to her. If it had been anyone else she probably would've given them a good sucker punch.

"Can you try to not sneak up on me like that?"

Cloud smirked ever so slightly. "Sorry, should I holler next time?"

She playfully gave him a knock on the arm. "Don't make fun of me!"

Cloud only let out a light chuckle, a chuckle Tifa hadn't heard from him for years.

"We should get back inside. I bet the kids will wanna get going already," said Cloud, that tiny smirk still resting on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey everybody I'm back. Now, to those of you who have been following the story, I'm SO sorry for not updating any sooner. So to make up for that, I made sure that this chapter was longer so there would be plenty for you guys to read! Well, I won't hold you up anymore, please so enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don not own any **FF7 **characters or places in this story. All rights go to **Square Enix.**

* * *

><p>Tifa had always thought of herself as a very patient person, and prided herself in keeping her cool in some of the most trying of circumstances. She could hold her own against wild monsters, beat down deadly Shinra military robots, and was even prepared to challenge a Turk or two in a fight if she felt like it. But at the moment, it was taking just about everything in her power to keep herself from blowing a fuse. Ever since they left the hotel, Marlene and Denzel had been chattering back and forth about what they should be doing in the park first, hardly paying attention to any suggestions Cloud or Tifa tried to make. The first few minutes of it were cute, but after awhile it started to weigh heavy on Tifa's nerves. Even Cloud seemed to be having trouble keeping his temper in check, his jaw set and evidence of his agitation showing clearly in his eyes. His patience was clearly starting to weigh thin.<p>

"I wanna go to the gondolas first!"

"No Marlene we have to go see the Battle Square first for sure!"

"Ooh, what about the chocobo races?!"

"I'm telling you Marlene, Battle Square! No questions asked."

"No fair Denzel, watching people fighting monsters is no fun!"

"It is too, it's cool!"

"It is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is TOO!"

"Is NOT!"

Oh God, that was it. Tifa could feel her sanity cracking at that very moment.

"Is TO-!"

"**Kids**!"

_Wait was that Cloud...what?!_

The shout wasn't all that loud or startling, yet it held such a commanding tone that it absolutely demanded ones attention. Tifa looked up and found the kids both staring up at Cloud, with surprise written all over their faces. Tifa couldn't blame them; she never expected him to raise his voice like he did. Not that it was frightening or anything...it was just so unusual for him.

"Okay, now according to that sign," Cloud stated this calmly as he pointed to a nearby sign, "there's a chocobo race that's gonna start in about twenty minutes. If we hurry, we might be able to catch some good seats. But that's only if we hurry...so why don't we start with that? And Denzel, I promise we''ll get to go the Battle Square, sometime this weekend. Just be patient alright?"

It took a moment for the shock on the kids' faces to wear off, before they both happily agreed to the idea. And just like that the two went off ahead of them, laughing and all smiles all over again.

Huh, it was like the fight had never happened.

Tifa quickened her pace to catch up to Cloud, who was trailing the kids as they scampered off towards the Chocobo Square. Once Tifa managed to catch up to him, she tapped him on the shoulder, effectively grabbing his attention when he glanced her way.

"Thanks for the crowd control," she said gratefully. "For a minute there I thought I was gonna blow a fuse on those two."

Cloud blinked, before smiling lightly back at her. "Yeah I could tell." The smile quickly vanished though, replaced by a blank almost unreadable expression on his face. Tifa could tell by the look in his eyes that he was holding something back though, like there was something he really needed to say, but didn't quite know how to say it.

"Cloud..?"

"Tifa I-"

"Look there it is!" Marlene's outburst cut him off before he could finish, and for a moment Tifa suddenly remembered that they had two kids to entertain.

"Hold that thought will ya?" Tifa gave him another smile before jogging ahead of him to catch up to the kids, impatiently waiting for them by the entrance to the square.

The Chocobo Square itself was actually a massive four floor stadium, able to seat more than a few thousand people. Equipped with a state of the art virtual racing track that corkscrewed up the floors of the stadium, chocobos and their jockeys would run through various, and very elaborate, virtual environments as they made their way up the track. To add to the excitement, because the track was so large which made it impossible to see the chocobos throughout the entire race, a camera would follow behind the racers, broadcasting live-footage of the race on a large projection screen mounted at each floor of the stadium. It was the perfect way to ensure every spectator had a first-class view, and not miss a second of the action. It was still a good fifteen minutes before the race was scheduled to begin, so many visitors were still up and about throughout the stadium; some heading for concession stands for snacks and drinks, while others went to place bets on their preferred chocobos. But despite being surrounded by crowds of people, Marlene and Denzel were looking around with wide-eyed wonder written all over their little faces. But with the crowds came a very common and inconvenient problem: long lines. So it was another ten minutes of waiting in a ticket line before they actually managed to make it to their seats in the stadium, with only five minutes to spare before the race.

But one of the nicer things about waiting in line, was that the four of them ended up receiving private VIP booth seats on the second level, with a great view of the jumbo screen above them, as well as an awesome view of the race track. Another nice little bonus thanks to their Lifetime Passes. Tifa made a mental note to thank Reeve the next time she saw him.

"Hey Tifa, can we really bet on which chocobo's gonna win?"

"Yes but we're not betting Denzel."

"Aaaww, c,mon Tifa what if we win?!"

"The answer is no Denzel. Betting is an irresponsible way you can use your money, and we are not going to waist ours that way," Tifa answered firmly, "Right Cloud?"

Tifa looked at Cloud, who was seated next to her, patiently waiting for a response. For a moment though he was quiet, blinking back at her thoughtfully and clearly not expecting to be questioned.

"Well...now that you mention it, I was actually thinking about making a wager now. There's a gold chocobo registered in this race, and considering his breeding I'm pretty confident that he'll- what?"

Tifa could only blink back at him incredulously, not believing what she was hearing. She had asked him that question, confident that he would be backing her up. If there was one thing that she did not have a shred of patience for, it was gambling.

"...Tifa...?" Cloud drawled, his brows rising to his hairline with nervousness.

"Are you serious?!"

"What? I won't wager too much gil."

"That's gambling! We did not come here to waste our gil like that!"

"Tifa, it's no big deal, I've bet on winning chocobos before!"

"...Wait, when did you do that?!"

"The last time we were here..? Where do you think I got all that gil and extra gear from by the time we left?!"

"I don't care about how much gil or whatever you got! You are not going to gamble with any of our money! It's irresponsible, a waste of gil and it's not a good influence on the kids!"

"Tifa I don't see what the big deal is-"

A loud horn suddenly echoed through the stadium, followed by the roar of a cheering crowd.

"The race is starting!" Marlene cried out excitedly, sitting on the edge of her seat and leaning on the booth's glass window, with Denzel quickly following behind her.

Tifa quickly looked down towards the starting line, where sure enough, the racers were mounting their chocobos and preparing to take off down the track. She then looked up at the jumbo screen to get a better look at them. There were six birds lined up on the race-track, each of them a different color according to their breeding. Two of them were green chocobos, a breed that was known for their stamina; mainly used for mountain crossing. A blue river chocobo was also being prepped; a breed that's skill was used mainly for river crossings, and also noted for their stamina. Next up was a well-built yellow chocobo, however it didn't seem to be much competition for the other racers. The black chocobo lined up next to him certainly looked like he would be a challenge for the other competitors, until she saw the last one lined up on the track. A chocobo with bright golden feathers, stood in the last ring of the track; the feathers in the plume of his tail ruffled with anticipation. This was obviously the chocobo that Cloud had been talking about, and she began to see why he was so confident in its performance. Tifa had never really learned more than the basics on chocobo breeding-having heard it mostly from Cloud- but it didn't take an expert to know that gold chocobos were extremely hard to find, and even harder to breed. So seeing one on the race track was certainly an exciting prospect.

Soon an intercom blared throughout the stadium, announcing the start of the race. The racers quickly made their last-minute adjustments, before all six were mounted their chocobos.

3...2...1...the starting horn sounded with a roar throughout the stadium! The chocobos sprinted off up the track; their heads down and their tail plumes held high in the air behind them. The audience roared with excitement; the sound almost deafening, even through the booth's glass window. Marlene and Denzel were also cheering, watching the screen above them as the race continued. So far the black chocobo was in the lead, with the gold chocobo in second and following just behind him. Behind them were the mountain chocobos, with the river and yellow chocobos trailing them in fifth and sixth place. Even Tifa watched the screen in anticipation, being drawn into the race very quickly with Cloud also keeping an eye on the screen.

Soon though the scenery surrounding the competitors quickly changed as they rode on through the next level of the track. Tifa's anticipation mounted as she recognized the scenery on the screen; they should be riding past their booth any minute now. Hardly after Tifa finished that thought, the kids started shouting with more enthusiasm than ever, and Cloud patted Tifa's shoulder, drawing her attention down toward the track with vigor. Up came the racers and their chocobos, running as fast as their powerful legs would cary them. The black chocobo was still in first place, however the gold chocobo was now running just beside him, making it a tie for first. Soon the birds came running right past the booth, and Tifa had to admit, the image of the powerful birds up close as they ran past was absolutely exhilarating. Soon though, they vanished from view all too quickly, and all four pairs of eyes in the booth darted back to screen.

"Keep an eye on the gold one," said Cloud, a hint of excitement hidden within his voice. Tifa glanced to Cloud for but a second, and in that second she could see the fire of the thrill in his eyes, despite his face remaining as stoic as ever.

"The gold's in the lead! He's in the lead!" Denzel cried. Tifa looked back up to see that the gold chocobo had indeed passed the black bird, and now had a major lead in first place. In a desperate attempt to take back his winning spot, the jockey riding the black chocobo made a dash for it, forcing his chocobo into a sprint for the lead. Unfortunately though it turned out to be his downfall. By the time his chocobo had reached the gold's tail, he had used up all of his stamina, and had slowed down considerably, putting him all the way down in fifth place. This only made the crowd go wild, their cheers becoming even louder than ever, and Denzel and Marlene were both jumping for joy from their excitement. The race ended with a dramatic finish, with the gold chocobo winning first place with an impressive lead over his competitors.

It was ten minutes after the race was over when they left their booth and headed off for another destination. The two kids were still jabbering excitedly about the results of the race, and Tifa couldn't help but still feel the leftover sense of thrill at the prospect of watching such a great win.

"Exciting huh?" Cloud asked from beside her.

"Yeah really exciting. You have a good eye for the winners Cloud."

"Would've been nice if you'd let me wager on him wouldn't it?"

Tifa cocked a brow at Cloud, who had a smug little smirk on his face that had 'I told you so' written all over it.

She decided then and there, that she was going to wipe that smirk off his face. An idea quickly came to mind, and with it a mischievous little grin of her own.

"Oh I was serious Cloud, I think you have a good eye for chocobos." she replied teasingly.

The smirk on his face was replaced with furrowed brows and a hint of suspicion in seconds.

"What are you getting at?" he drawled.

"Oh I'm just saying...," she continued coyly, "that maybe you might have a bit of chocobo in you." And with that, she reached up and ruffled Cloud's blonde spikes playfully. "It would explain why your hair looks like a chocobo's tail!" she laughed.

"Ey, cut it out! And it does not like that!" Cloud countered, clearly not amused as he grabbed at her wrists in trying to stop her antics.

"It totally does!" Tifa laughed again, as she continued messing with him. She knew how much he hated it when people commented on his hair, and she decided she was gonna get a good laugh out of it.

"Tifa, knock it off! That is not funny!"

Two more laughs joined into the chaos; Denzel and Marlene had noticed what she was up to, and were now laughing their heads off at the scene.

"Get him Tifa, get him!" Marlene cheered on.

"Cloud, you better get back at her!" Denzel chided in.

"What do you think I'm trying to do!?" Cloud replied as he struggled to grab hold of her wrists. "Tifa, seriously knock it off!"

But Tifa wasn't about to let him stop her; she was just having way too much fun.

At least that was her intention anyway, until Cloud managed to snatch her wrists, pull them down to her waist, then twisted her around so she had her back to him. Before she could even blink or move he managed to pin both of her arms to her sides with his strong arms wrapped around her. Her laughing ceased right then and there, and she could feel her heart fluttering all over again.

"Cloud, what are you doing? Let go already."

"Not until you cut it out." Cloud stated this firmly and with absolute seriousness.

"I'm not making any promises Cloud."

"Then we can just walk around like this all night long."

"You can't hold onto me all night," she said, barely managing to keep her composure while in his arms. He was so close to her, she could probably give him a quick kiss if she could just turn back around.

_No, no bad thoughts Tifa!_

"Watch me," he replied calmly.

Those two words and the warm breath that tickled against her ear sent chills up Tifa's spine, and she could feel the heat rising into her cheeks. Her heart was thudding like a drum at this point; the warmth from his muscled arms inspiring fantasies of a kiss or more that began to fog up her mind.

"Eeew, I think they're gonna kiss Marlene!"

Well that definitely brought her back to reality. Denzel's comment seemed to have an effect on Cloud too, because as he heard the word 'kissing,' his body went rigid and his grip on her loosened, giving Tifa an opportunity to slip out of his grasp.

Outwardly she displayed a triumphant smile on her face, but inside she wished she didn't have to slip out of his embrace. And her stomach twisted in knots when she took in Cloud's reaction to that little comment. Whatever confidence he might have had appeared nonexistent; his face wasn't flushed but one could clearly see the embarassment on his pale face, and he was avoiding Tifa's gaze entirely. She knew he could be shy about things like kissing and anything related to relationships, because as far as she knew he had no experience in that department. But was the thought of kissing her really that humiliating? Her stomach knotted unpleasantly as the thought crept its way into her mind, and she could almost feel her heart drop in her chest.

"Hey guys, who's hungry?!" Tifa exclaimed brightly, deciding that she needed to drop the subject before she could let it fester in her and ruin her mood.

"I am!" both kids shouted eagerly.

"Can we get burgers?! I want burgers!" piped Denzel.

"I think there's a restaurant somewhere in the Wonder Square," Cloud put in.

"Well then what are we standing around here for? Let's go." Tifa replied leading the way with Marlene and Denzel in tow. It was a half an hour after a dinner of burgers, fries and sodas when the four of them decided they were going to have some fun in the arcade. When they entered the two-story arcade of the Wonder Square, they were welcomed by the sight of flashing lights, and the electronic buzzing and alarms of the many games inside. Again Denzel and Marlene's eyes lit up with wonder and excitement and they quickly ran off looking for a game that they could play.

"Cloud! Cloud play this one with me!" Denzel pointed to the center of the room towards the 3-D Battler, where two guests had just finished playing a few rounds.

"Alright, whatever you want kiddo," Cloud replied, then looked at Tifa and Marlene. "You gonna watch?"

Tifa was about to reply when she noticed Marlene wondering off toward one of the crane games.

"You two go ahead. I think Marlene might be wanting a souvenir," she said, pointing towards the crane game.

Cloud followed her finger to confirm what he'd been told, then nodded and smiled at her before he turned to join Denzel at the battler.

Tifa's gaze lingered for a moment on Cloud as he walked away, before following Marlene to the crane game where she was now attempting to grab a moogle doll that nestled among a mountain of other prizes. Judging by the scowl on her face, Marlene wasn't having any success in her endeavor and after another few failed attempts to retrieve the plush doll, Marlene let go of the joystick and let out a frustrated whimper.

"You want me to try to get that for you?" Tifa chuckled as she stepped in front of the joystick. She paid the required 100 yen, making the machine roar to life with florescent lights and lively carnival music.

"Are you sure? It's really hard to grab it."

"Yup, these games are pretty tricky," said Tifa, as she maneuvered the metal claw over the moogle doll. "But I have a few tricks of my own up my sleeve."

She positioned the claw just over the doll's head, just enough so that she could grab the signature red ball on its antenna. The antenna was sticking up out of the pile of toys inside the game, and Tifa figured it would be the prime target to aim for. All she had to do was lower it just enough, grab it at just the right height, and she could lift the doll right out of the pile. But this required patience, and she lowered the claw ever so slowly; watching it intently just to be sure it was in the correct position. She noticed it was just a bit too far to the left so she shifted ever so slightly to the right.

"Hey Tifa, do you love Cloud?"

Tifa started, accidentally pressing down on the claw's control button making the claw close and miss the red ball entirely.

"Tifa?"

"Of course I do," Tifa replied, "just as much as I love you and Denzel."

Tifa put in another 100 gil, suddenly very determined to get that darned moogle.

"No not like that! I mean do you _love_ him!" It was more of a firm statement and not a question.

Tifa kept her eyes focused on the metal claw as she maneuvered again towards her target, hoping to avoid the topic entirely. She posittioned the claw as she did in her first attempt, and once satisfied that it was in the right spot, lowered the claw so that it hovered just over the red ball on the antenna. She pressed the control button, and watched with satisfaction as the claw closed over the target perfectly and lifted the doll out of the pile of prizes.

"See Marlene? Told you I had a few tricks didn't I?" Tifa piped as she took the doll from the prize chute and held it up for Marlene to take, hoping it would distract her from the topic. It didn't seem to work, because the girl only stared back at her with intent, perhaps with a bit of impatience, and payed absolutely no mind to the moogle doll that had just been won for her.

"Well? Do you love him or not?" Marlene's gaze never faltered, making it difficult for Tifa to ignore the subject.

"Well...I definitely care about him a lot, I mean we've known each other since we were kids," she replied finally. "But where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"But..if you care about him than doesn't that mean that you love him?" asked Marlene, seemingly a bit baffled.

"Well that's-"

"And you two live together. I thought two grown-ups living together meant that they loved each other."

Tifa only sighed as she looked back at Marlene, really unsure of what to tell the little girl. For one thing, she was finding it odd to think that she was being basically interrogated about her relationship with Cloud, by a seven year old kid. The answers Tifa had given her really only sounded like excuses, and it seemed that unless Tifa was just a bit more honest with her, she wouldn't let the subject go. All Tifa had to do was be honest, and she knew that. But for some reason it became a lot harder to be that honest with another person than just herself, even if it was only to a Marlene.

"Well, that's not necessarily true. There are adults who live together all the time and they're just friends. But I get what you're saying honey. I do feel that way about Cloud but you see, I don't think he feels that way. And telling him about how I feel could make things really complicated for him and I. We probably wouldn't even be living together anymore. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Marlene didn't answer for a moment, and her brows furrowed with thought; obviously thinking hard about what Tifa had told her. Then she looked back up her and smiled softly to her. "Well...not really, because I'm pretty sure Cloud loves you too. You should tell him how you feel. I know you two would be really happy together."

Tifa couldn't help but smile at the sincerity in her advice. Although naïve, it was certainly very thoughtful of her to say that. She always seemed very perceptive for her age, and seemed to have that ability to put a smile on your face, even when you were feeling down. "Thanks Marlene. I'll keep that in mind." She held up the moogle doll in front of her. "Now do you still want this?"

"Yeah, thanks Tifa!" she exclaimed happily, beaming brightly as she took the plush doll in her arms.

For the next few moments Tifa felt just a bit at peace, having at least talked about a simplified version of what was going on in her mind and getting that bit of reassurance from Marlene. It didn't matter if it was just a seven-year old giving her advice. At least she had let some of the stress off of her chest. She was about to suggest that they head over and watch Cloud and Denzel's game, when Denzel suddenly ran past them, with both hands over his mouth like he was about to be sick to his stomach. Cloud quickly followed behind, with worry etched into his face.

"Is everything ok?" Tifa asked, just before Denzel stopped at a nearby trash can, bent over and began retching and emptying his stomach into the bin.

* * *

><p>"Well, the good news is, he just has a bad case of the stomach flu," the park doctor stated as he finished looking over Denzel. It had been an hour since Denzel had first gotten sick, and by the time they had gotten him back to the hotel he had already been sick three times. Fortunately it had stopped by the time they made it to the hotel room, but he had still looked green in the face so they had called for a park doctor to come in and have a look at him. "The bad news is, his night in the park is just about over."<p>

"Will he be okay?" asked Cloud, the worry still clear in his voice. Tifa couldn't help but be concerned also, as memories of Denzel when he had been sick with the Geo Stigma began coming back to haunt her. She knew it really wasn't as serious as that, but still...

"Oh he should feel better by tomorrow morning. I gave him some anti-neausea medication so he'll be able to sleep. He should feel up to going back to the park by tomorrow but I suggest keeping him away from the junk food for a day or so. But you both really have nothing to worry about, he'll be just fine."

"Alright thank you Doctor."

"No problem Ma'am, you all have a good night," he said with a reassuring smile before heading out the door and leaving the suite.

There was a long quiet before Tifa and Cloud both let out the breathe they'd been holding in, heading for the spare bedroom to check on their sick charge. Denzel had thankfully asleep by now, with some of the color coming back to his face after being sick so many times. Marlene was sitting next o him by his bedside, just like she used to do when he was sick back when they'd first taken him in. She looked up when she heard them come in and a small smile spread across her face.

"He's gonna be ok right?"

"He'll be just fine hon, he just needs sleep that's all," Tifa reassured her. "And you need to get some sleep too. It's past your bedtime kiddo."

Needless to say, like most kids, Marlene was reluctant to go to bed, giving both her and Cloud a number of excuses to try to delay the inevitable. But after about ten minutes of coaxing, she had changed into her pjs, brushed her teeth and was tucked into the covers for the night.

"Whew, great first day huh Cloud?" said Tifa, stretching and considering heading to bed herself. It had been a few seconds before Tifa realized he hadn't answered her, and she turned to find him still lingering by the door to the kids' room. "Don't worry Cloud," Tifa reassured him, resting a hand on his arm. "You heard what the doctor said, he'll be up and running by tomorrow."

Cloud didn't seem too reassured, but he didn't protest either so he reluctantly followed her back to the master bedroom. "I know Tifa I just...well."

"Thinking about his medical history right?" she asked knowingly.

"You too huh?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure it's just old habit. He'll get better Cloud, you'll see."

Cloud only nodded and an all too familiar silence fell between them. During those moments of silence, Tifa's thoughts had begun to wander again, and her conversation with Marlene quickly came back to her.

_I'm pretty sure Cloud loves you too. You should tell him how you feel. _

_Tell him..._for a moment, she actually considered doing just that. The two of them were alone, and what did she have to lose if she did tell him..? But that advice had come from a child. A child who, though well-intended, didn't know the first thing about relationships yet. Though it was a complicated situation for Tifa, Marlene just wasn't old enough to even see that. For Tifa, her feelings weren't just some little secret; they were something that, in a worst-case scenario, could ruin the friendship that she had with Cloud. She just couldn't imagine losing that.

"Tifa?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and found that Cloud was staring at the floor, or rather avoiding her gaze, with the uncertainty that she'd seen in the park in his eyes. Then she remembered he had wanted to say something to her. "Oh, Cloud about earlier, before the race...you wanted to tell me something?"

His eyes snapped up to her in surprise. "Uh yeah, about that. I wanted to apologize to you. On the road I made things tense...and I was afraid you'd be mad at me for that."

_He's still worried about_ that?

"Cloud, I'm not mad at you, because you didn't do anything wrong. Besides you didn't seem all too worried about that in the park tonight," she replied with a smile. "Look, we came here to have a good time right? So how about we just put that behind us and enjoy the weekend. Alright?"

Cloud didn't reply for a moment, until he let out a small smile and nodded. "Right, now there's just one more thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah uh.." Tifa swore she could see a light blush on his face, "So who's taking the bed?"

_Oh...crap._


End file.
